Anastos said the poor coverage is not only a frustration to cell phone customers, but also a matter of public safety with 60 per cent of 911 calls being made from cell phones today.

He said Telus introduced the small cell technology last year in an attempt to improve its wireless capacity without having to construct additional large cell towers.

The 70 being installed in Tsawwassen will provide approximately the same coverage as four 15-metre towers.

The small cells are about one square foot each and are attached to existing Telus poles, or shared B.C. Hydro poles. In the future, Telus may also look at installing the cells on existing civic infrastructure, which would require an agreement with Delta.